


2. Rufus Shinra’s Day Off

by Maria_smith



Series: Tales From The Slums [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 14:08:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20116345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maria_smith/pseuds/Maria_smith
Summary: Rufus takes a day off to go slumming.





	1. Chapter 1

It was Rufus’ second day back in Midgar, and he was already bored out of his mind. The seventeen-year-old had just returned from a seemingly endless assignment in Junon. At first, Rufus was slightly excited about the idea of living in the coastal city. He thought he would get to see some action working there during wartime. Unfortunately for Rufus, not even Wutai wanted to mess with the highly fortified military base, the Junon cannon being the most significant deterrent. So, instead, Rufus spent the last two and a half years in Junon learning the fundamentals and inner workings of the administration.

The President planned to have Rufus officially overseeing the Junon base in another year or two, then a promotion to vice-president in an additional two to three years tops. It’s not that Rufus disagreed with his father’s career aspirations for him; he was just getting sick of the same old day to day routine. All he wanted was one day away from the monotonous life of paperwork and board meetings.

Rufus arrived in Midgar the night before last for what he thought was a five-day break, but to call it a break would be an embellishment. He was thrilled about the thought of returning after being away for so long. Then Rufus realized the President expected him to be confined to the Shinra Headquarters all day doing more paperwork and attending more meetings. Luckily, Rufus knew his old man enough to suspect that this _break_ was going to be another week of work. Rufus realized that if he were going to take a real day off, he would have to take it without his father’s permission, so he took the liberty of planning one. 

Having lived most of his life in Midgar, Rufus knew everything the upper plate had to offer, and none of it interested him. He knew very few people his age, and there was no one in the Shinra building he could call. Since Rufus was coming back to this city after being gone for so long, there were two people around his age Rufus was hoping to see, but they lived somewhere Rufus had never travelled to before, the slums. It’s not that Rufus was afraid to venture below the city; he just never had a reason to go down there. For the President’s son, a trip to the slums would make him a target for every lowlife who wanted to make a quick buck, not to mention the many people down there who generally detested Shinra. Rufus knew if he were going to do this, he would have to go incognito.

To avoid standing out down there, Rufus decided to dress as simple as possible, wearing only a plain black T-shirt, an old pair of jeans, running shoes, and a black baseball cap. He also didn’t shower for the last two days, so his hair was a little greasy.

He knew if he were going into the slums, he would need protection. He couldn’t bring his favourite shotgun due to its size, so he opted for his lucky revolver and a few grenades. Based on his last experience with Reno and Rude, he knew there was a good chance he was going to need it. 

This day off was a long time in the making. Rufus knew he was only going to get twelve to twenty-four hours away without getting into too much trouble. Not that it concerned him; he just wanted to avoid his father tightening his security any more than it already was. Rufus had arranged a few months ago to have his friends meet him at the Sector 7 train station. To contact his comrades, he had arranged for a Shinra employee he trusted to deliver a message to the youths since they didn’t have phones. Hopefully, they received the letter and will be waiting at the specified location because he would have no way of finding them otherwise. 

Rufus looked at himself in the mirror, admiring the plain-looking teenager staring back at him. He was happy with his apparel. Rufus looked more like a young thug than any Shinra employee or the President’s son. After admiring himself, Rufus grabbed the large stack of gil on the table next to him and took one last look around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. He then quickly exited his residence, eager to make his way towards the train station before the company car arrived to transport him to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Outside the train station, two boys stood near the platform waiting. The redhead leaned on the lamppost, looking half asleep with his friend standing next to him. Most of the people around them were in business attire or a uniform of some sort. Some of them were hurrying by on their way to work while others waited patiently for the train.

“I don’t know why he had us meet him this early,” the redhead yawned.

It was almost nine in the morning, and Reno couldn’t remember the last time he had to wake up this early. The fourteen-year-old was not fond of early mornings, but he owed Rufus for his help a few years ago. Plus, Reno figured a day out with the older boy was going to be entertaining. Reno hadn’t seen Rufus since that day he first met him in the Shinra building. He heard that after that eventful day, Rufus was shipped off to some private school or something. The letter they received last month was the first time they had heard from Rufus since.

“I wonder what he wants to do in the slums?” Rude asked his friend while gazing at the crowd of people. He was keeping a lookout since he figured Rufus would be dressed in more normal attire.

“He probably wants to get out of that stuffy building and have some fun. I would go nuts if I were chained to a desk all day,” Reno commented, starting to sound more awake. “Rather be dead than one of those pencil pushers jammed in an office.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” came a voice from behind.

Reno and Rude turned around to see Rufus dressed in plain clothes and a black hat.

“About time,” said Reno, pushing himself off the lamppost. “So what do you want to do first?” he asked the young blond.

“I have a few ideas. But first, we should go,” Rufus informed the two quietly as he looked around at all the people, many of them employees of Shinra.

Following Rufus’ advice, the three boys took the train all the way down to the Sector 7 station in the slums. As Rufus walked through the lower plate for the first time, it was what he had expected from listing to others describe it. It was dark, dirty, and many of the people he came across looked tired and worn out.

It was now late morning, and the boys were starting to get hungry.

“It’ll be lunchtime soon. Where’s a good place to eat around here?” Rufus inquired, hoping they knew of a restaurant that served palatable food.

“There’s a decent diner in Sector 6,” Rude suggested.

The three made their way to a diner in the Wall Market and walked in to find the place a little busy since it was close to eleven, and the lunch rush was just beginning. There were no tables, only a long counter and some stools. They found three empty seats next to each other and sat down.

“Well, at least you can see the food being cook from here,” Rufus thought to himself. He had low expectations for this meal, but the diner smelled okay, and the counters looked clean enough. 

“Don’t get the Sushi platter,” Rude advised Rufus. “It’s not that fresh…”

“What do you recommend?” Rufus asked his friends.

There was no menu, and Rufus couldn’t make out the scribbles on the board hanging on the wall. He glanced around at the plates of food belonging to the people surrounding him and couldn’t make out exactly what it was. Most of the people in the restaurant were men he assumed were blue-collar workers on their lunch break. They were all quietly eating while looking down at their food, oblivious to everything around them. In the corner by the door were two older looking women smoking cigarettes and dressed like prostitutes in mini skirts and low-cut tops. They weren’t eating, just quietly talking to each other over drinks.

“Not much choice here,” Reno explained. “The only options are Korean BBQ, sushi, and the house special.” Reno raised his hand, trying to get the server’s attention. “They never tell you what’s in the special, so I’d stick with the BBQ.” The server walked up to the three boys on the other side of the counter. “Three beers and three Korean BBQ’s,” he told the waitress. The waitress nodded and walked away to get their drinks.

A few minutes later, the waitress brought over the food and put it down in front of the boys. Rufus picked up his fork and poked the burnt piece of meat on his plate. “Whatever it is, at least it’s cooked thoroughly,” he thought to himself.

“What is Korean BBQ, anyways?” Reno contemplated out loud while stuffing his face with the charred meat. “Like, is Korean a place, a type of meat, or is it the way it’s cooked?”

“I think BBQ is the way it’s cooked, so that can’t be why it’s called Korean,” Rude replied, not knowing the answer. “And I always assumed the meat was Chocobo, but I could be wrong.” 

Rufus didn’t have an answer to the redhead’s question, so he remained silent while slowly picking at his food. It wasn’t bad if you washed it down with the beer.

After the three finished eating, the waitress brought over the bill prompting Reno and Rude to reach into their pockets for their half.

“It’s on me,” Rufus said, taking some gil from his pocket and placing it on the counter.

Rufus was normally not the type of person to throw his gil around and pay for others, but he asked his friends out today and knew they didn’t have much money. Reno and Rude both nodded thanks and returned to their drinks.

Rufus noticed one of the women by the entrance watching him as soon as he went to pay for the bill.

The woman walked over and sat down next to Rufus, putting her hand gently on his shoulder. “You want to party?” she whispered, leaning in close to his ear.

Rufus frowned at her. “Not with you,” he replied, jerking his shoulder away from her hand.

Rufus shivered inwardly at the thought of a diseased ridden whore wanting to _party_ with him. She would have been good looking had she not been a worn-out drug addict. Rufus figured she was probably only in her late twenties but looked older from the ravages of living a hard life. Her light blue eyes were glazed over and looked gray. You could tell she was probably high on drugs or coming down off something by the size of her pupils and the fact her hands were shaking slightly.

After hearing Rufus’ rejection, she frowned at him and stood up. She walked over to her friend, who got up from her seat and the two quietly left. 

“Consider yourself lucky,” Reno said, leaning back in his seat to get a good look at Rufus, who was sitting next to Rude. “Some of them will make a big scene if rejected like that. At least she didn’t yell or try to hit you.” Reno took the last swig of his drink and slammed his empty beer glass on the counter. “Shall we go?” 

The three of them stood up and proceeded to leave the diner. It was around noon when they walked out into the busy Wall Market.

“What should we do now?” Reno asked. “We could go play pool, the bar, or there’s always the Honey Bee Inn?” Reno quipped, causing Rufus to frown, thinking about the prostitute.

“What else do they have in this Wall Market?” Rufus asked the redhead.

“Lots, there’s shops, bars, some inns, a gym…” Reno trailed off when he realized that Rufus was no longer paying attention as he gazed off into the distance. “What’s wrong?” he asked the blond. 

“There’s a guy over there watching us,” Rufus informed the two, not taking his eyes off the man.

Reno and Rude look over to see a man standing by the item shop gazing at them.

“Let’s go,” Rufus suggested. He travelled north, away from the man.

The other two followed, and after walking a short distance, Rude peeked back to see if they were still being tailed. When Rude looked back, he noticed that the man wasn’t anywhere in sight.

“I don’t think he is following us,” Rude explained to the others. “Should we go back? The only thing up this way is Don’s place.”

Rufus and his friends were about to start walking back when a dark shadow came out of a nearby ally. A large arm quickly grabbed Rufus from behind while another held a knife close to his throat. Reno and Rude recognize Rufus’ attacker as the man who was watching them outside the diner.

“That’s the one, Mike,” said a female voice coming from the dark ally. The prostitute from inside the diner walked out from the shadows with her arms crossed. “I just know the little prick has a bunch of gil on him.”

A look of anger crossed over Rufus’ face. “Little prick?” he repeated.

Without warning, Rufus forcefully elbowed the guy in the side, causing the man to move the knife away from his neck enough so he could take the arm and throw the man over his shoulder. Still holding his attacker, Rufus took the man’s hand and twisted it back, causing the man to yell in pain while dropping the knife.

“Mike!” the female said before trying to flee. Reno and Rude blocked her escape ensuring she had nowhere to run.

“Who do you work for?” Rufus asked, standing over the man as he forced his wrist into an awkward position. 

“Why do you want to know?” the man asked, trying not to scream in pain.

“Because I want to know who I might be making enemies with if I decide to kill you,” Rufus explained. He twisted the wrist further, causing the man to let out a scream. “Are you going to answer my question?” 

“The Zoloms!” the man yelled.

Confused by the response, Rufus turned to Reno and Rude for clarification.

“It’s a Sector 3 gang,” Rude informed him.

“See, it wasn’t that hard,” Rufus said while releasing the thug. Before the man could retaliate, Rufus kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. He then turned his attention to the cornered female. “Are you with these Zoloms too?” Rufus asked the woman.

“No, I work for the don,” the girl replied, not wanting to end up like Mike. “If you touch me, you’re going to have to answer to him.”

Rufus looked curious. “Is this guy your boyfriend or something?” Rufus asked as he nudged the unconscious man with his foot. 

“No,” the woman replied, looking annoyed. “I scout out targets with money for him to mug, and he provides protection when I need it. Are you going to knock me out too?”

“I don’t think your boss would be happy to hear that you are assisting a rival organization obtain gil,” Rufus said matter-of-factly. “Shouldn’t you be out making money for him instead?”

A wave of fear rushed over the girl’s face. “You won’t tell him, will you?” For the first time, the woman looked frightened. “He’ll kill me if he finds out, but it’s the only way I can get protection from the bad johns, Corneo doesn’t look after us.”

Rufus rolled his eyes, not wanting to hear the girl’s sob story. “I’m not going to make any promises,” he said bluntly before turning to Reno and Rude. “Let’s get out of here. I need a drink.” Rufus turned his back to the woman and walked away with Reno and Rude following behind.

“So, where do we want to drink?” Reno asked as they marched south towards the entrance of the Wall Market.

“Where do you normally go?” Rufus inquired.

“Well, around here, we would go to the Wall Market Pub,” Rude answered. “But the Turks sometimes go there in the evenings.”

“It’s probably best if I avoid anything Shinra today,” Rufus explained. “Where can we find a bar that is least likely to be visited by a Turk?”

“Well, there is a bar in Sector 1 that is owned by the local gang,” Reno suggested. “It’s low key, and they have pool tables.”

“Lead the way,” Rufus said as he followed Reno and Rude out of the Wall Market towards Sector 1.


	3. Chapter 3

Sector 1 was like every other sector in the slums, full run-down homes and various essential businesses.

The three youth walked up to a busy bar full of people standing outside, drinking and talking loudly. On top of the bar was a sign with the words ‘The Behemoths’ written crudely in red paint. Well, Rufus assumed it was paint, but given the number of the people standing outside wearing more leather and spikes than should be permitted, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was blood.

Inside, the bar wasn’t as bad as Rufus anticipated taking into consideration the character of people outside. Many of the patrons were the local gang members full of piercings and tattoos. They were confined to one big group in the back corner of the room occupying three pool tables. The rest of the establishment contained more regular looking slum folk playing pool or drinking at the bar.

Reno and Rude went to go set up the last available table while Rufus walked over to the bar to get the first round of drinks. Rufus couldn’t help but notice one of the gang members eyeing him. Considering the guy had the most amount of leather, piercings, and the spikiest red hair out of the lot, he assumed the guy was the leader or a senior member. Rufus decided just to ignore the man’s threatening glare so he could enjoy his drink and play some pool. 

After four beer and one game of pool, it was becoming easier for Rufus to ignore the loud crew in the corner. Rude lost to Rufus on the first game, so it was Reno’s turn to play against him.

Rufus couldn’t help but notice how much louder and lively Reno became the more he drank. Rude, on the other hand, become quieter with each drink. Rufus couldn’t help but wonder if it was from the alcohol or Reno becoming increasingly annoying.

Rufus was just about to suggest another round of drinks when the door opened, and two girls entered. From the way the girls were dressed, Rufus could tell they weren’t part of the local gang. They reminded him of the two girls from the diner earlier but younger and more vibrant. One girl had short light brown hair and was wearing a short jean skirt with a pink tank top. The other girl had jet black hair and dark brown skin. She was wearing a pair of skimpy pink shorts and a black halter top. The two girls stopped at the door and scanned the room before locking eyes on Rufus’ small group. The girl with the long hair said something to the other girl, and the two of them walked towards their pool table.

“Hey!” the girl with the black hair said to Rude as she approached. Reno looked up from taking his shot as soon as he noticed the two girls walking their way.

“Hey, Sam,” Rude says to the girl, then he turned to Rufus. “This is Sam, she was my next-door neighbour until her family moved to Sector 6,” he explained then turned back to Sam. “Who’s your friend?”

Before Sam could answer, she was interrupted by Reno. “Hey ya, Sam!” the redhead yelled at the girl, starting to sound a little drunk.

“Hey ya, Reno!” Sam replied jokingly, imitating the redhead. She turned her attention back to Rude. “This is Kim. She works with me.” Sam motioned to her friend, who smiled at the two boys. “Who is your friend?” she asked, smiling at Rufus.

Rude went silent; he wasn’t sure if Rufus wanted to use his real name. Noticing Rude’s hesitation, Rufus decided to answer for him.

“I’m John,” Rufus replied with the first common name that came to mind. 

“What are you doing in Sector 1?” Rude asked, drawing Sam’s attention away from Rufus.

“We just finished up with two clients in the area and wanted to kill some time before heading back to Sector 6,” Sam explained. 

“Yeah,” Kim continued, “the boss usually picks his _bride_ around this time, and we wanted to avoid getting picked. We figured we would hide out here for a bit.”

“Bride?” Rufus asked, a little confused.

“Every night, Corneo chooses one of us to fuck,” Kim explained with a disgusted look on her face. “He usually just picks the new girls, but when there’s none, he’ll pick one of his regulars.”

“It sucks because we don’t get paid, and he keeps us there for the whole night sometimes longer!” Sam said, growing more agitated. “He’s so gross!” She shivered at the thought. “It’s disgusting!”

After listing to the girls, Rufus wished he hadn’t asked them about the whole bride thing.

“That sucks, Sam,” Rude said, not showing much sympathy for the two girls. “It’s my turn to buy the rounds, let me get you two a drink.” He walked over to the bar to order drinks for everyone.

“Rufus, it’s your turn,” Reno called out to the blond from the other side of the pool table.

Rufus rolled his eyes at Reno’s stupidity. He figured the redhead didn’t hear the conversation he had with the girls about his name being John, or Reno had already forgotten because he was drunk.

“Rufus?” Sam asked. “I thought your name was John?”

“Rufus is my last name,” the blond explained nonchalantly. “It’s what my friends call me.”

Rufus walked over towards Reno. The redhead had a puzzled expression on his face while leaning on his pool stick for support. As Rufus took his shot, Rude walked back towards the group balancing the five mugs of beer.

Everyone thanked Rude as they grabbed their beer.

Rufus missed, so Reno put down his drink to take his shot, knocking his ball into the pocket. Rufus was surprised that Reno was still playing so well, considering Reno was talking and walking like he was two sheets to the wind. Reno walked around the table, attentively looking for his next shot but not without stopping to take a few more gulps of his beer. Reno had two solid balls left to land, and Rufus only had the one striped ball.

“Watch this,” Reno told the girls who were sitting near the pool table talking.

They stopped talking amongst themselves to watch. Reno hit the cue ball, sending one of his balls into the corner pocket. The cue ball then spun back, hitting his second ball and hurling it into the side pocket. The girls clapped at the successful double shot. Reno then hit the cue ball towards the eight-ball sitting in front of a corner pocket, landing it and winning the game.

“Nice game,” Rufus told the redhead. He handed his cue stick to Rude, who walked over to rack the balls.

Reno walked over to his drink and chugged it. “It’s my turn to buy,” he said, slamming his empty glass on the table. “I’m going to get a round of shots,” he said before heading towards the bar.

Rufus looked around and noticed that all their drinks, except Reno’s, were more than half full. He looked over to Rude to say something, but Rude was gazing towards the bar with a worried expression on his face.

Rufus looked behind him to see Reno at the bar talking to some young girl with long blond hair dressed in tight leather pants and a leather top. Based on all the leather the girl was wearing, he assumed she was with the gang. Rufus quickly glanced over to the other side of the bar and was relieved to see that none of the gang members had noticed Reno talking to one of their own. Rufus glanced back to Reno, who now had his arm around the girl and was whispering something into her ear. The unknown girl giggled and playfully nudged him away, causing Reno to pull her in closer.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Rude mentioned to Rufus.

Reno walked back towards them with a tray full of shots balancing on the one hand and his free arm around the girl. “This is Roxy,” Reno informed the group.

Roxy was around their age and didn’t look like the other gang members except for the leather, a small arm tattoo, and a few piercings in her ears. Roxy waved hello to the group and whispered something in Reno’s ear, causing him to smile and slap her on the ass. She then giggled and playfully pushed the redhead. 

“Reno…” Rude started to say, but before he could finish his sentence, a huge tattooed covered man with a big green mohawk walked into the bar along with two other men covered in tattoos and piercings.

The two men walked straight towards the congregation of gang members in the back without noticing their small group in the corner. The guy with the green mohawk started talking to the guy with the spiky red hair, who then pointed over towards Rufus’ group. The guy with the green mohawk locked eyes on them and glared furiously.

“Uh, oh…” Rude uttered after seeing what was going on behind Reno’s back. “Reno, look behind you,” he advised his friend.

“What’s wrong, Rude?” Reno asked, not paying attention to what Rude said.

The redhead put the tray of shots on the table, then picked up a shot glass and handed it to Roxy. He took one for himself and downed it in one gulp, but before he could lay the shot glass down, he was picked up and thrown a few feet across the room. Reno hit his side against the wall before crashing to the ground. He looked up to see a big guy with a green mohawk standing over him.

“What did you do that for?” Reno asked the man while rubbing his head.

“What’re you doin’ with my girl?!” the man yelled in Reno’s face.

The green-haired man lifted Reno by the collar of his shirt and slammed his head and back against the wall.

“Enough!” Rufus yelled at the man.

Shifting his attention to Rufus, the man let go of Reno, causing the redhead to fall to the ground.

The green-haired man turned to Rufus and glared. “Who’re you?” He took a few steps toward Rufus, trying to intimidate the blond, but Rufus didn’t budge and continued to glare back at him.

“John,” Rufus replied, not fazed by the man’s intimidation tactics. “Why don’t you leave my friend alone?”

By now, the whole bar was focused on Rufus, with the gang members outnumbering the three boys five to one.

“No,” the green-haired man responded bluntly. “We’re goin’ to mess you up.”

“How about a fair fight?” Rufus proposed. “Just you and me.”

The man laughed, glancing up at his fellow members before turning his attention back to Rufus. “Why would I fight fair?” the man asked. “You’re on _my_ turf.”

Rufus looked around and, as far as he could tell, none of the gang members had any large weapons or guns on their person. He knew his revolver and grenades were not going to be enough given the size of the group, but he might be able to use them to gain a little leverage. He pulled his shirt up slowly to show the man the revolver stuffed into his belt.

“How about a little wager?” Rufus offered. “If you win, it’ll be worth your while.” Rufus figured the thought of possibly being shot might be enough to persuade this guy to accept his offer. Having a weapon, he felt he might have the upper hand. Even if he couldn’t take down the whole gang with his gun, Rufus knew he could shoot this man, and the man was probably thinking the same thing. 

“What?” the green-haired asked, looking at the gun sticking out of his pants. 

“It’s a game for someone dangerous like you,” Rufus explained with a smile. “If you win, you have to let my friends go, but you can have this.” Rufus pulled 4000 gil out of his pocket and placed it on the table next to him. The man became fixated on the money, that much gil in one place was a rarity in the slums. The man was no longer paying attention to Rufus talking. “But if _I_ win, you have to agree in front of all your comrades here that we get control of this bar.”

The man, finally hearing what Rufus said, took his attention away from the gil and focused on the blond. Rufus did not know the cost of real estate in the slums but, he figured 4000 gil was more than enough to buy a run-down bar and their freedom. Rufus just wondered if this man would be stupid enough to risk his life for it.

“What are the stakes?” the man asked curiously.

“It’s a game of life and death,” Rufus explained. “To win, one of us has to die.”

“Let me get this straight,” the man said, struggling to understand the deal. “If you win, you get my bar. But if I win, you get to leave, and I keep the money?”

“Well, if you win, I won’t be leaving because I’ll be dead. It’s a game of life and death, remember?” Rufus clarified, realizing this guy was an idiot. “But if you win, you have to let my friends go.”

“What’s the game?” the man asked.

Rufus motioned for the two of them to sit while he placed the gil on the table. Rufus sat on one side with Reno, Rude, and the two girls standing behind him. The green-haired man sat on the other side of the table with his whole gang standing behind him.

“Have you ever heard of Corel roulette?” Rufus asked as he took out his revolver and removed all six bullets. He placed the rounds on the table before taking one and holding it up to show the man. Without taking his eyes off the man, he put the lone bullet in the cylinder of the empty revolver and spun the chamber, quickly closing it with a flick of his wrist as soon as it stopped spinning.

“Are we going to play?” Rufus asked.

The green-haired man nodded in agreement as he glared at Rufus. The man must have assumed this was a bluff and wanted to save face in front of his gang.

With his eyes still fixated on the man, Rufus put the revolver to his temple and slowly pulled the trigger. _Click_. Behind him, Rufus could hear his friends breathe a sigh of relief when the gun did not go off. He laid the revolver on the table and pushed it over to the man.

As the man slowly picked the weapon up, Rufus could see beads of sweat starting to build on his forehead. The guy took a deep breath and raised the revolver to his temple, quickly pulling the trigger as he closed his eyes. _Click_. The man let out a big sigh of relief and pushed the gun over to the blond.

Rufus slowly picked up the revolver and placed it to his temple. His cold eyes showed no emotion as they gaze through the man. Rufus could sense that this was starting to unnerve his opponent. He pulled the trigger again. _Click_.

Rufus pushed the gun back over to the man who slowly picked it up, his hands now starting to shake. Rufus could see the sweat on his forehead accumulating as it poured down the side of the man’s face. He was about to put the gun to his temple, but finally unnerved from the game, he frowned and pointed the weapon at Rufus.

The man glared at Rufus. “This is bullshit!” he yelled, realizing how stupid this was. “How about I just take the money and shoot you right now?”

Rufus didn’t react to the man’s threat. He just continued to sit in his seat with his hands under the table, looking calmly at the man pointing a gun at his head.

“That’s not a good idea,” Rufus calmly informed the man.

“Why?” the guy asked, visibly unnerved by Rufus’ calm demeanour. That’s when he noticed Rufus’ hands under the table. “Let me see your hands,” the man demanded as the gun started to shake slightly.

Rufus’ slowly raised his arms above the table. In one hand was a grenade with his fingers clasped over the trigger, and in the other was the grenade’s pin.

“Because if you shoot me, we’ll all die,” Rufus explained with a malicious grin. The gang members behind the man gasped in fear noticing the grenade separated from its pin.

Realizing he was cornered, the man’s hand started to tremble in fear. Rufus could sense the man’s mind racing as it tried to think of its next move. Without warning, the man dropped the gun on the table and stood up. To the astonishment of the entire gang, their leader quickly grabbed the money before fleeing the bar as fast as his legs could take him.

As soon as the man left the bar, Rufus put the pin back in the grenade and released the handle safely. The gang members gawked at Rufus with dumbfounded expressions on their faces, not exactly sure what to do.

“I guess he forfeits,” Rufus informed the group calmly.

Rufus could hear Reno and Rude let out a big sigh of relief behind him. The blond picked up his revolver and loaded the remaining five bullets.

There was silence in the bar as the gang members continued to watch in shock. 

“We should get going,” Sam anxiously informed Rude, breaking the silence. They sounded a little upset from the near-death experience. Before Rude could even answer, the two girls quickly fled the bar.

“This is awesome,” Reno said, slapping Rufus on the back. “You won a bar!”

“Who says we’re goin’ to give you our bar?” the spikey red-haired gang member corrected Reno.

“You don’t think I won it fairly?” Rufus inquired while shooting the man a grin. “Your leader fled with my money.” 

The man paused for a moment matching Rufus’ gaze. When he realized that Rufus was not going to back down, he put his hands up in defence and smiled. “Any guy as crazy as you are perfect for the Behemoths,” he informed Rufus. “Jeff was a jerk anyway, but we thought he was tough, so we tolerated him. He knew he wasn’t as well-liked as our last leader. That’s probably motivated him to take the money and run.”

After that dramatic incident, the tension in the bar had subsided as everyone went back to drinking, talking, and playing. The guy with the spiky red hair stayed with Rufus and his friends conversing. Rufus and some of the gang members sat at one table while Reno, Rude, and Roxy sat at a table next to them.

“Let me get ya a round of drinks,” the red-haired man said before waiving to a female gang member to bring a tray of beverages.

Reno, Rude, and Roxy grabbed a drink and started talking amongst themselves.

After talking with the spiky-haired guy, Rufus determined that he was a decent person and appeared more intelligent than the idiot who took the gil.

“What are you anyway?” the gang member asked Rufus out of the blue. “Some rich kid from the plate?”

“No, I’m just some gambler from out of town. I’m from the Junon slums,” Rufus lied. It was the only excuse he could think of explaining why he would have that kind of money. “What’s your name?” Rufus asked, trying to change the subject.

“My names Adarious,” the man informed Rufus. “But everyone calls me Spike.”

Before Rufus could ask another question, the door to the bar opened, and a boy entered. He looked slightly younger than Reno and Rude and was wearing jeans and a ripped-up jean jacket with patches. He stood by the door and frantically looked around the bar for someone.

“What do you want?” Spike asked the boy abruptly, as he if knew him.

“I’m just here to get the don’s girls,” the young man replied to Spike. “I was told they walked in here after they finished with a client.”

“They’re not here,” Spike informed him. “Now get out, you know you’re not welcomed here.”

The boy, ignoring Spike, glanced around the bar again and stopped at Rude.

“Hey, you,” he yelled at Rude, getting his attention. The boy walked past Rufus and Spike’s table and stopped in front of Rude’s table. “I know you are friends with Kim, where is she? Her boss wants her.”

Before Rude could say anything, Reno got up from his seat and stepped in the young man’s line of sight, blocking his view of Rude.

“Didn’t you hear Spike?” Reno asked, slurring his words a little. “You’re not welcome here, get out!”

Rufus walked up besides Reno, standing next to him with his arms crossed.

“Who are you?” the youth asked, eyeing Rufus.

“I’m John. I own this place,” Rufus replied.

“Well, I’m not leaving until you tell me where the girls are,” the man pulled out a gun and pointed it a Rufus and then Reno. His hands were a little shaky, and he had a nervous look in his eyes. “Now, tell me where the girls are, and no one gets hurt.”

Rufus smirked at the boy, unfazed by the gun. “You think pulling a gun is a wise move when you’re this outnumbered?”

“I don’t give a shit if it’s a good idea or not!” the young man yelled, starting to sound frustrated. “I have to get those girls to my boss, and I don’t care who I have to go through to get them!” The boy’s voice nervously cracked as he spoke. The boy was so busy talking he didn’t see Spike walk up behind him.

“Listen here, Rodney,” Spike said as he placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

The boy was startled by the contact and turned to face Spike as the gun in his hand discharged, hitting the side of Spike’s torso. The force of the bullet caused Spike to fall back, clutching his side. The boy dropped the gun fearfully, realizing he just shot an unarmed gang member inside his bar. All the other gang members stood up and rushed towards Rodney in a rage. 

“I’m sorry!” Rodney yelled, shielding his face with his hands, trying to protect himself from the crowd. “I didn’t mean to do it! It was an accident!”

A few of the female members rush over to help Spike, who was groaning in pain on the floor. The other gang members held Rodney, preventing him from fleeing. They all turned to Rufus, who was kneeling next to Spike on the floor.

“Luckily, it’s a through and through,” Rufus commented as he looked at Spike’s wound. “Get him to someone who has a cure materia,” he ordered the female caregivers. They nodded and helped their injured comrade up and out of the bar.

Rufus turned to Rodney, glaring at him. 

“I’m so sorry!” Rodney exclaimed, sounding like he was about to cry. “The boss threatened to kill me if I didn’t bring the girls to him. He told me to do whatever’s necessary!”

Rufus shook his head in disappointment. “Unfortunately for you, Spike is well-liked around here. You’re going to pay for this,” Rufus informed the boy then stopped for a moment to think.

Rufus knew this kid was a fool, but he didn’t deserve to die. Rufus felt some pity for this boy but knew the gang would want retribution for the assault on a fellow member. After everything he had seen and heard today, Rufus wanted to teach Corneo a lesson and decided that he would be the ideal scapegoat. As far as Rufus was concerned, it was just as much Corneo’s fault for sending the kid to do a man’s job. An evil grin appeared on Rufus’ face as he started to formulate a plan. He had to find a way to take the gang’s attention away from Rodney and make Corneo the focus of their anger. Luckily, Rufus was good at convincing people to see things his way.

Rufus turned to the gang members standing behind Rodney. “Who does this Corneo guy think he is sending his men onto your turf?” Rufus asked the group.

Already upset from the incident with Spike, the gang members called out in agreement before Rufus continued.

“So, what are we going to do about it? If you let him get away with this once, you’re essentially permitting him to do it again. You need to teach him that this is Behemoth territory and that you don’t mess with the Behemoths!” Rufus exclaimed, prompting all the gang members to shout in agreement. “Who wants to go teach this Don Corneo a lesson?” he asked as the whole group roared in excitement.

Rufus paused, waiting for the crowd to settle before continuing. “Now, what do we do with little Rodney here?” Rufus asked, turning to the young boy who was still being restrained by two gang members. Rodney appeared even more terrified now that the attention had shifted back to him. 

“Kill him!” yelled someone from the back of the crowd.

“Hmm,” Rufus said, thinking out loud. “Maybe we should hold on to him for a bit first; you never know when we might need someone with knowledge of the enemy’s operations.” Rufus leaned in next to the young man’s ear. “If you help us, we’ll let you live,” he informed the young boy who nodded in agreement.

“Does anyone have any weapons?” Rufus asked the crowd.

One of the gang members closest to the bar walked over and reached behind it, pressing a switch. Rufus heard a _click_ and three large wood panels on the front of the bar opened, revealing several secret compartments. He reached down and opened the board, exposing multiple handguns, offensive materia, grenades, shotguns, and a few different rifles, along with several boxes of ammunition.

Rufus smiled wickedly at the arsenal. “That should do,” he said before beginning to explain his plan.


	4. Chapter 4

It was ten o’clock, and Peter was beginning to get anxious. The don wanted his girls here over an hour ago, and so far, only one of the three women he requested had shown up. Peter knew there would be trouble if his boss didn’t have three to audition. If Rodney didn’t show up soon, he was the one who was going to have to endure his boss’ wrath. The last guy to piss the boss off was sent down to the sewer to feed his pet Aps, and Peter didn’t want to risk joining him.

“Is Rodney back yet?” Tony asked as soon as he walked outside the front of the mansion, where Peter was pacing frantically. “Everyone is starting to worry, and just a heads up, the boss is looking for you.”

“Shit,” Peter cringed. 

“Hey, is that Rodney?” Tony asked, gesturing down the street.

Peter looked to see Rodney walking a few feet ahead of two dark figures that were still too far away to identify.

“The kid must have found the girls after all,” Tony commented to Peter, sounding relieved.

Suddenly, Rodney and the two cloaked figures stopped. Tony took two steps towards Rodney to see what was wrong, but he stopped in his tracks and collapsed just as Peter heard a faint noise. Before Peter could react, there was another soft noise, and he fell to the ground sleeping.

The two men behind Rodney removed their cloaks and put away their materia. They pushed Rodney past the sleeping bodies towards the entrance. Reaching for their weapons, one of the men watched the door while the other man whistled loudly. Hearing the whistle, a half-dozen men, including Rufus, walked out of the shadows towards the entrance. 

“How many more men should be inside?” Rufus asked Rodney.

“Between four and eight,” Rodney replied. “Plus, Corneo and any girls that might be inside.”

“Okay, everyone, follow my lead and stick to the plan,” Rufus informed the group as he pulled out his revolver. Rufus gave the signal, and they stormed the mansion, passing into the front lobby.

Upon entering, the team branched off into two groups. Rufus could hear gunshots as two of the gang members ran into the first-floor back room while the rest of them ran up the stairs to the second floor.

Hearing the commotion downstairs, one of Corneo’s men ran out of the room at the top of the stairs and came face to face with Rufus’s group. Being unarmed, the man raised his hands, surrendering as soon as Rufus’ pointed the gun at his head.

“Take this guy and Rodney down to the basement,” Rufus ordered two of the gang members leaving only him and one other ally.

The two cautiously approached the room from where the man emerged. Rufus quickly peeked inside and was unable to see anyone. He signalled to the other man, and with their guns drawn, they entered a room full of empty bottles and chairs.

As they walked into the lounge, Rufus heard a loud gunshot, and a bullet whizzed across the room, just missing his ally. They turned to see a man standing in the right corner of the room, holding a gun.

Rufus returned the shot, hitting one man in the chest before quickly turning to his left and aiming his gun at another man he spotted hiding behind a television. Rufus’ associate pointed his gun at a third man hiding underneath a poker table.

“Get out!” Rufus ordered the two men, prompting them to withdraw from their hiding places with their hands raised.

“Listen to me, and you might get out of this alive,” Rufus informed the hostages.

Rufus was about to turn to his associate to say something when one of the hostages reached into his pocket for a weapon, but before the crony could brandish it, the window behind him shattered. The hostages were startled as Reno, Rude, and three more gang members flew through the window with Reno landing on the armed man.

“Don’t even think about it,” Reno whispered, spotting the knife. He stood upon the guy’s wrist and pried the weapon out of his hand before brushing himself off. “Well, that was fun. Where’s Corneo?” he asked Rufus while looking around.

“Haven’t found him yet,” Rufus replied. He looked at the three remaining Behemoth members. “Take these three down to the basement with the others.”

Following Rufus’ instructions, the three men accompanied the hostages out of the room.

“Let’s find Corneo,” Rufus said, and the three of them exited the room.

The next door they came across was in the middle of the hallway and looked more extravagant than the others. Rufus pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge. He looked at Rude, who, despite being two years younger than him, was taller and more muscular than the blond. Taking his cue, Rude kicked the door open with little effort.

As soon as the three entered the room, they came face to face with a man holding a gun. He pointed it at Rufus’ head only to be repaid with Reno and Rude, each aiming their weapons back at him. Realizing he was outnumbered, the man dropped his gun and surrendered with his hands up. Reno motioned towards the exit with his firearm, prompting the lackey to flee from the room quickly.

Reno looked around the tacky office. “He has to be in here somewhere,” the redhead commented then started to walk around. Reno walked up to a privacy screen located in the top right corner of the room. “Over here!” he called out to the others.

Rufus and Rude followed Rufus into a room hidden behind the screen. Inside was Don Corneo hiding behind his bed with a half-naked girl standing in the corner.

“Get out of here!” Reno ordered the girl who obeyed, quickly exiting the room. 

“Get up, Corneo,” Rufus ordered the Sector 6 kingpin. 

Corneo stood up from behind the bed, looking terrified. He studied the three boys nervously. “Do I know you?” he asked Rufus, focusing on the blond.

“No, but I know you,” Rufus informed the man with a grin. “I must say Corneo. I am very disappointed with how you are running things down here.”

“Your Shinra’s boy,” Corneo said, now recognizing the blond.

Rufus continued with his speech, ignoring Corneo’s dim-witted look. “You are paid a lot of money to monitor the slums and report back to Shinra. But what I see is a man who can’t even run an effective business. How can you provide Shinra with accurate intel when you don’t even know what’s happening within your organization, let alone the slums? Not to mention your security is substandard at best, look how easy it was for us the infiltrate this place.”

“I…” Corneo was just about to talk before being cut off by Rufus.

Rufus could see that Corneo was trying to think of a response but continued his lecture before the man could say anything. “Did you know that your girls are working with rival gangs helping _them_ make money instead of making _you_ money?” Rufus asked Corneo, not caring enough to listen for an answer. “A little word of advice, if you want to stay on top for much longer, I suggest you start running a tighter ship.”

“Rufus, you are right,” Corneo says, gobbling at his feet. “Please don’t tell your father, I’ll do anything you say. I don’t want to get cut off!”

“Here’s what I’m going to do,” Rufus responded. “I won’t tell my father about how poorly you run things down here, but you have to do something for me.”

It was Rufus’ first encounter with Corneo, and now he understood why he always heard vile things about the don from others. Being around the sleazy man was making Rufus sick, and he told himself that as soon as he became president, Corneo would be first on the chopping block.

“I want you to give me 4000 gil, and I want you to ensure that the Behemoths, who generously assisted me today, have a free pass in Sector 6. Make sure your men understand that the Behemoths are untouchable.”

“Yes,” Corneo answered, shaking his head vigorously. “Whatever you say.” Corneo crawled over to the chest beside his bed and pulled out a sack of gil. “Here, take it all!” he told the three. Rufus picked the gil up and walked towards the exit, followed by Reno and Rude.

“Oh, and all your surviving men are in the basement,” Reno mentioned to the don before exiting the room.

As they entered the main walkway, they found a gang member guarding the top of the stairs leading to the basement. Seeing Rufus, he gestured to his fellow members down below, prompting them to come up and exit the compound. 


	5. Chapter 5

The whole gang was riled up by the time they returned to the bar. After giving Reno and Rude 1000 gil each, a gift for sticking with him the whole day, Rufus threw the bag containing 4051 gil on the table. Luckily for them, Corneo didn’t count the gil and gave them a few thousand more than requested. 

“Any update on Spike?” Rufus asked the group.

“I think I’ll live,” a voice said from across the room.

Rufus turned to smile at Spike standing in the doorway. The rest of the crowd’s eyes followed Spike as he walked towards the group slowly but with no visible injuries.

“I heard you guys had some fun tonight,” he mentioned to Rufus.

“And for all our trouble raiding his abode, Corneo was kind enough to give us this,” Rufus opened the bag to show everyone the mound of gil.

Hearing that, the crowd exploded in cheers.

Rufus handed the bag to Spike. “Well, I think it’s time for me to go,” he informed his new acquaintance.

“Go?” Spike asked. “I thought you were a Behemoth now?”

“Nah, I’m just passing through,” Rufus informed his spiky-haired acquaintance. “Just make sure my friends are treated well when they stop in for drinks,” he motioned to Reno and Rude.

“No problem,” Spike replied. “We’ll treat them as one of our own.” 

The three boys said their goodbyes and exited the bar.

“Well, Rufus, there’s never a dull moment when you’re around,” Reno said to the blond as they left Sector 1 heading towards the train station.

It was early hours in the morning, and the streets were nearly deserted with the odd person walking by. Rufus said goodbye to his two friends and was about to walk away when Reno called out to him,

“Hey, Rufus, maybe next time we’ll visit you,” the redhead joked. “The people up top won’t know what hit them.”

“Sure, anytime,” Rufus replied before turning and walking away.

As the two boys walked home, Reno turned to Rude. “Do you think Rufus’ gun was rigged when he was playing roulette?” he asked his friend.

Rude took a second to think before answering. “Donno,” he replied. “And he’ll probably never tell if you ask.”

END.


End file.
